Blow Up Your Christmas Tree

If you're tired of pine needles all over the floor, Mark Hewett has the perfect Christmas tree for you.

His inflatable trees are guaranteed not to shed, cause allergies or need watering. They're easy to transport and forest-friendly.

There's only one problem, admits Hewett: "They look pretty ridiculous. In fact, they're absolutely nasty. But isn't that the whole point? That Christmas is kind of ridiculous?"

Hewett is the U.S. rep for a London-based company called SKK that has sold 20,000 of the new inflatable Christmas trees this year. Most have been sold in Europe. Hewett finds Americans much more conservative about Christmas than other nationalities -- except San Franciscans. The trees are selling briskly here.

The trees come in translucent purple, blue and green, as well as frosted white, and are available in three sizes: two feet, four feet and six feet.

It's perfectly safe to string lights on them, but ornaments are a problem, since the trees don't have any branches suitable for hooks.

"You can buy stick-on stars from Kmart and stick 'em all over. The tackier, the better," Hewett says.

They're made of heavy plastic and are quite sturdy. Hewett has hauled them to trade shows around the country and has only had one pop -- the one his dog bit.

The trees were invented by a Chinese lighting designer in London named Shiu Kay. "He's crazy, basically," says Hewett. "He comes up with a lot of unusual products."

Kay plans to solve the problem of decorating his trees with yet another invention that should be ready by next year: inflatable Christmas tree ornaments.

RESOURCES

SKK's inflatable Christmas trees are available at four stores in San Francisco.